Automatic ink-well.



C. H. HOLDREDGE.

AUTOMATIC INK WELL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-13. I911.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Sumo L C H HOLDREDGE "1r NIJRRIS PETERS Cm. Pnnm-uma, WASNINL'YON. n c

CHARLES H. I'IGLDREDGE, OF STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC INK-WELL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Application filed January 13, 1917. Serial No. 142,266.

Tb all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, (ll-mums H. HOL- nnnoon, a citizen of the United States, residing at btonington, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic InkJ Vells, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to ink wells and particularly to that class of ink wells wherein provision is made for normally covering the ink except for a small aperture so that theink will not evaporate.

The object of my present invention is to provide a very simple, cheaply made and effective form of ink well which is so constructed that a slight thrust of the pen against the surface of a floating member will cause the depression of the floating member, this floating member being so formed as to retain a relatively small but suficient amount of ink upon its upper surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ink well having therein a floating disk having at its middle a barrel extending down into the ink, and provide within this barrel a float having at its upper end a slight depression so that the touch of the pen will cause the float to sink, the float then rising up to its original position with a pen full of ink.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an ink well constructed in accordance with my invention Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the ink well shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to these figures, it will be seen that I have provided an ink well designated generally 11 and which may be made of any suitable form but which is provided with a cap 12 fitted over the upper end of the ink well and having a forwardly extending flange 13 projecting inward beyond the wall of the ink well. Resting upon the surface of the ink and floating thereon is a member 14 which is annular in form and has downwardly extending side flanges 15. This member 1a is dish-shaped or concave-convex, the convex surface facing toward the bottom t e ink W611! Th em er 1 has a m- .downward within the ink well.

130111 and top and disposed within this barrel is a float 17 which maybe made of wood or other buoyant material or may be made hollow and of glass, vulcanite, or other like material. The outer surface of this float is formed with a depression 18 which is of such depth and diameter as to contain a drop or more of ink suflicient to fill a pen point. Preferably a bail 19 is attached to the barrel which extends beneath and limits the downward movement of the float 17 This bail is preferably formed of very small wire and is swingingly mounted upon the barrel.

The operation of the invention will be obvious from what has gone before. Normally the float 17 has its upper surface approximately just below the upper surface of the member 14. When it is desired to secure ink, the pen is thrust into the ink well and a touch of the pen upon the float 17 causes the latter to move downward and the ink to rise up and flow into the depression 18 so that a pen full of ink is presented to the pen. It

will be seen that only a very small part of the ink is submitted to evaporation so that the ink willnot be wasted and will not dry up within the ink well. The device does not readily get out of order nor clog. It is very simple, may be cheaply constructed, and may have a certain ornamental value. The body of the well is formed with a deep recess in its bottom to permit the full depression of the floating disk 14:.

It will thus be seen that a relatively small amount of ink is always present in the mouth or opening of the floating annulus but that at the same time the ink is prevented from evaporating at any rapid rate. It will be seen that a drop of ink or a small portion of ink will be disposed at all times in such position as to be readily taken up by the pen in both forms of'my device' Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an ink well, a floating member disposed within the well and adapted to float upon the top of the ink, said member being annular in form to provide a central opening and having a downwardly extending wall surrounding said opening but spaced therefrom, a float disposed within the space surrounded by the wall and having a cen tral depression at its upper end, the upward 'movement of the float being limited by the projection of the annular member inward beyond the Wall, and a bail swingingly mounted upon the barrel extending beneath it and limiting the downward movementof the float, said bail being movable out of the way of the, float to thereby permit the float to be removed from the barrel.

2. In an ink well, a floating'member disposed within thewell and adapted to float upon the top of the ink, said member being annular in form to provide a central opening and said member having an annular wall extending downward from the member concentric to the central opening and defining a Copies of this patent may be obtained. for

chamber open at its lower end, and having a uniform diameter from top to bottom, the wall being spaced from the central opening, a float disposed within the space surrounded by the wall and having a central depression at its upper end, the upward movement or" the float being limited. by the projection of the annular member inward beyond the wall, 7

and means normally preventing the depression of the float below the lower end of said annular Wall, but shiftable out ofthe path of movement of the float to thereby permit the removal of the float.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. I-IOLDREDGE.

' Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. WVILooX,

ALBERT G. MARTIN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

